scott12180

Franklin Series 10 and 11 vintage: 4 - 23" split rims 2 - 21" split rims 2 sets of steel blower housings 2 - timing gear covers 1 - Series 11 crankshaft --- good but light surface rust 1- 32x4-1/2 tire -- good tread left 2 21-inch rear wheels, wood is rotted but should have some useable parts. also Model T parts : 2 flywheels, one pre-starter transmission parts Also a large BMW dealer's sign, close to five feet in diameter. Might be other stuff to throw in, too. Planning to move this summer, so this stuff is all free to whoever comes to get it. I want you to take the whole lot. Remember --- it's free. Location near Albany, New York --Scott send a pm if interested.

Of course not all dealers are like the subject, and I apologize if what was said implied that. However I do think that all dealers have a responsibility to maintain a certain level of professionalism among their ranks. Those of us who are not dealers and may not have a particular high opinion of dealers in general because of being hurt in the past, sometimes don't need much to jump to broad conclusions. There are good cops and bad cops. There are good lawyers and bad lawyers. Good doctors and quacks. Good teenagers and bad teenagers. Every group needs to be responsible for their own kind. To the latter, I teach at a college. In our big classes of up to 500 students, we had an episode where cheating on exams was really getting out of hand. Many facuty were forming a bad opinion of these kids and the reputation of the school could suffer as a result. I laid it right on the line for the students. I told the kids in my big lecture hall what was happening, what people thought of them, and how the actions of a few were hurting the reputation of everyone. I said that it was their responsibility as a group to maintain a level of ethical conduct --- to hold themselves to a "code of honor" that was not enforced by the faculty or administration, but by the students themselves. Well, that speech helped. Several of the cheaters were exposed and since all the students now thought that other students were watching, so to speak, the incidence of cheating practically disappeared. A Code of Honor is a good thing to have no matter who you are. I would hope that other dealers would put some pressure on this one to better maintain their image. And as for that one dealer, I hope that it was a mistake that the video got out to the public like that, but it illustrates the kind of people they have working for them, and I don't want to do business with that sort no matter what they are selling. Don't flame me. This is my opinion. Ignore it if you disagree

Even if I wanted the car really bad after seeing that video I would NEVER trust that dealer now. Perhaps if I looked the car over in person thoroughly, I'd consider buying it, but after that obscene video there's no way I'd let that dealer make one dollar on the sale from me. That sort of thing deserves a boycott of all their cars. I am disappointed because for a short time I truly gave serious consideration to the car. It bothers me alot why someone would sell their car to a dealer before trying to sell it privately. Posting it here is free, after all. I wonder who really owns that dealership? Is he a responsible man who lacks the ability to hire responsible employees? Or is he a jerk as well?

There's a '38 Chrysler Imperial for sale on eBay at the moment by a midwest dealer. The dealer does a very good job representing the car through many photographs as well as its restoration history. It's a very handsome car and really gave me pause to think about owning it. But then I watched his video about the car. The beginning was a false start with a barely audible obscene utterance, which was mildly humorous. But in the end, there's a scene where a foul mouthed teenager gets into the car with his skateboard saying a clear obscenity about someone before driving off. I don't have a very good opinion of many dealers, but this was not only a blemish on the dealer but on dealers in general. What kind of customer are they looking for? I can't believe any reputable dealer would allow this to be part of a presentation.

I'm looking for a rear axle or specifically the ring and pinion gears from a Series 9. I'd like to find a gear ratio of 4.33 or 3.92 to replace the 4.73 in my Series 10. Series 9 commonly used 4.33, and I believe the ring gear would fit my differential, but I'd need the entire pinion because they are different. Or the entire Series 9 rear axle would be the best to determine what fits or not. A 4.33 ratio has 12 teeth on the pinion and 52 teeth on the ring gear. A 3.92 ratio has 13 teeth on the pinion and 51 teeth on the ring gear. Thanks -- Scott

Just noticed a Wilkinson carburetor on eBay. Looks like it is off of a later Series 10 since the choke is blanked off and it has a primer. But I'm not certain without checking. Should work on anything from a Series 9 to 10-B, except a Series 9 does not have the whirligig air cleaner. http://www.ebay.com/itm/121583201654?item=121583201654&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:SS:SS:US:3160&vxp=mtr The asking price is pretty absurd, but they do have the "Make an Offer" option. Oddly, I don't see these for sale very often. When in good shape, they work just fine. I prefer one to the Stromberg OE-1 because of the dashboard needle adjustment for the mixture has advantages with modern gasoline. --Scott

Thanks for your comments. OK, then, let me come clean. I've known about this Model 32 since last fall but haven't driven down to look due to all the snow this winter. http://www.villageservice.com/inventory-details/1913/Hupmobile/Model%2032%20%20Roadster/00000000000001417 Do any of you know the car? Know who the owner is/was and if the car has a good history? The posted price can't be a bargain since it's been for sale for a long time, so what's considered reasonable for a car like this? And if I do go to look it over, what should I be looking for or looking out for? Of course, I'd like to visit on a dry day so I can drive the car. We'll see what happens. Any advice appreciated. I've owned brass cars all my life and have a 1914 Franklin now. These early Hupps are appealing. . . . probably not a surprising thing to hear from a Franklin owner ! Thanks ---

Reading the last thread about the road abilities of the Hupp 20, I'd like to hear your opinions on the larger Hupp 32, which came out I think in 1912. I believe that it was a larger car all around with a 3-1/4 x 5-1/2 engine. Just wondering what kind of driving and touring cars these are. Such as, what's a comfortable top speed? Do they have enough power to pull hills, etc. And are they reasonably robust to take a few thousand miles a year?

1911 Model G Roadster on e-Bay. Not too often you see a petunia in the onion patch of eBay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Other-Makes-franklin-roadster-1911-franklin-roadster-/141565061737?forcerrptr=true&hash=item20f5ef6a69&item=141565061737&pt=US_Cars_Trucks I know nothing about the car and have no connection to it at all. Just posting here hoping that someone other than a dealer can get it. --Scott

Hi --- I'm not new to brass cars but I am to Maxwells. I'm looking at a 1912 Maxwell Special which is very appealing. I notice in the photos received that it seems this is one of those makes without a brake pedal. Am I correct that the clutch and brake are combined into one pedal on the LEFT (???). How does that system work? Frankly, I'd be scared to death of that. In a panic stop there's going to be nothing under your right foot that 40 years of driving has conditioned me to use. I'd appreciate somebody's comment on this. Has anyone done a conversion to add a real brake pedal? Thanks --- Scott

Hi John ---- Don't know if you remember me from the Franklin Club (I met Mike a couple of times), but back then I had a 1925 Series 11 Franklin Touring with a similar problem. When hot, especially in hot weather, if the car was shut off for a short time or if it stalled, it would not start. On one occasion when a friend drove and messed up, we sat roadside for half an hour with the hood up. What I learned is that if I started the engine cranking with the ignition off, and cranked for maybe 5 seconds, and THEN turned on the ignition (with the engine still cranking) the car would always fire right off. What's happening is that when the carburetor is hot, which it gets in a Franklin and an original Model L Lincoln, and the intake manifold cools a bit, raw gasoline is drawn up from the carburetor creating a rich condition. So you are trying to start a flooded engine. Why it doesn't clear itself I'm not sure, but if you crank witih the ignition off, you can clear out all of the super-rich mixture until a proper mixture is present, and it will fire. Exactly why this all works, I'm not certain, but I've done it on every old car with success. With Wilkinson-era Franklins and brass cars with dashboard needle-adjust carburetor control, I always shut the engine off by closiing the needle valve and not by shutting off the ignition. Then when I start, I crank with the needle still closed. As soon as it fires, I open the needle valve to the proper setting. Works every time. I'd be really curious is this works on a Lincoln --- crank with ignition off, that is. --Scott Dwyer 1914 Franklin Series 5 Touring 1924 Franklin 10-B Sedan

Could someone tell me what was the model of the Gemmer steering box that Franklin used . . . and that we have rebuild kits for? Pierce Arrow used Gemmer for 1929 and 1930. Anyone know what that model box was? A friend has a 1929 Stearns-Knight with Gemmer steering and I'm trying to help him find a rebuild kit.

I wonder if anyone can give me a ballpark figure for what it would cost to have a medium-sized brass-era 5-passenger Touring car upholstered in leather. I'm looking for a job done right by someone who knows his craft, to do an authentic job with horsehair stuffing, etc. Anyone have this done lately? $2000? $5000? $10,000? I've really no idea these days. And can anyone recommend a shop to do it in the New England or northeast region?

It's both a good thing for reference purposes and bad on for sale items that there is no expiration date on posts to the AACA Forum. These tires were for sale over a year ago and have been sold. -Scott

Curious --- Looking at the photos of this original Model L engine, are these cars capable of being driven with today's gasoline? That carburetor is so tightly wedged inside the 60 degree V with the exhaust manifolds nearly touching on either side. I would think that today's gasoline would boil furiously in the carburetor bowl, or at least cause vapor lock every time you stop or slow down. So are Model L Lincolns good drivers or just garage art anymore?

I agree --- needed to be said, and good job Matt. There are too many self-proclaimed "appraisers" out there who tell the customer what he wants to hear, then laughs all the way to the bank with the customers money. That Hudson has such a bad interior that it's ridiculous. There are so many cars out there with comical paint and upholstery schemes which are looking for an unwilling, knowledgeable, naive buyer. And frankly, because the car needs a complete new upholstery job, getting $20,000 would be a miracle. (I've never understood why people go through all the effort and expense to do incorrect work, when installing the correct upholstery or a correct paint scheme costs no more than doing a bad job. You can never go wrong with authenticity.) Pointing out the reality as Matt did is a great service to the hobby by preventing some well meaning buyer from getting hosed.

As someone here mentioned: "Hylomar". I rebuilt two Packard engines and learned that the long straight eight cylinder heads are difficult to get a good seal on. A friend in the restoration business recommend that I coat the copper-asbestos head gasket with "Hylomar" spray. A thin but even coating is all you want. That stuff gives it just enough help so that I got good seals each time. You can even get it on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hylomar+spray&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ahylomar+spray If you leave it leaking, knowing that it's leaking to the outside gives you a good chance that it's leaking into the cylidner as well. That's bad. Take the head off and do it once more with Hylomar. Clean the mating surfaces well and torque the bolts in the proper pattern in steps --- not all at once on any one bolt. Tighten all bolts to, say, ten pounds. Then bring them all in the proper pattern order to 15 pounds, then 20 pounds or something like that until you achieve the specified torque. That way you will avoid warping the head. Let it sit overnight. Check again in the morning. Then run the engine, let it cool completely, then check the torque again. Your patience will be rewarded. --Scott

And it's hardly a 1917. That would be a rare beast indeed. I'd say a 1923 to 1925.

That sounds reasonable, however I ran 25 pounds in a heavy Packard Phaeton for years to keep tire wear uniform and never had a problem with the valve stems. It's all probability --- what are the chances? I agree that the more underinflated, the higher the chance that you can get a stem sheared off. If the valve stem is shearing, then the tire itself must be moving on the rim. How do you mount the tire? You need a lubricant to get the rubber onto the rim, but dish detergent is not so good because it always remains slippery. What I use is a tire mounting paste (I'll see if I can dig it out for the name) which is available at auto parts stores. This is sort of the consistency of cool butter and is very slippery for mounting ease, but when it dries it hardens into a "glue-like" substance which helps to hold the tire in place. But from my experience new inner tubes are of very poor quality compared to a generation ago. All or many vintage car tires and tubes are made overseas in countries we once fought in wars. For instance, Vietnam, of all places. And the quality of their products is just terrible. Like anything made in China. If you have old American-made tubes which hold air, don't replace them !! You'll regret it. I owned a Model T a while back and there was a time when the side walls of the 30x3-1/2 clinchers would crack after a season. There were also problems with air leakage because the rubber around the valve stem was not sealing to the metal of the stem. The quick fix was to loop a wire around the valve stem and twist-tighten it. Worked well enough, but the quality issue was still annoying. When the clinchers were made in New Zealand or other responsible countries, they were fine. But that batch from Vietnam or Cambodia or China were awful. --Scott

Currently on eBay: 231393794919 --Scott

I have the same problem being tall. From what I've heard and know, it's all about body style. Tourings are really tight, pickups as mentioned, are absurdly cramped. Fordor Sedans trend to be better in '31. I've also been told that some some Coupes have plenty of leg room and the seat is adjustable. For comparison, I owned a 1926 Model T Coupe with plenty of room, but I can't fit into a 1926 Touring. The very best I've tried out and been told about is the Tudor. The front driver's seat is not permanently fixed to the floor or door post. You can move it just about anywhere you want with the right hardware. I'd imagine that the Victoria is about the same. Good luck. They are fun cars. --Scott

I remember reading somewhere, perhaps an original Franklin Service Bulletin, that "one gun" was 4 ounces. That's close to what Rich calculated. So "two guns" would be about 8 ounces as we thought. My first attempt in the Series 5 was a 60:40 mixture of 30W oil and kerosene. That caused slipping pretty seriously. The next attempt was 50:50 30W and kerosene. My car likes that really well. Every car will be different, most likely. I've been using 8-10 ounces. To get it in, you can use a convoluted funnel through the top --- with the filler plug at the top of the clutch housing --- or you can squirt the oil in through the side. What I do (and did on the Series 5 Roadster when I owned it) is to first pour in 8 ounces from the top, as above. Then crawl under and with the filler plug out, rotate the flywheel and note the position of the flywheel when the oil just starts to come out of the plug hole. Then back up just a tad. It's close to the 4 o'clock/8 o'clock position. I then put a paint dab on the flywheel so I can find the orientation in the future. When it's time to add oil again, use some sort of squirt bottle (like plastic quart oil bottle with a gear oil nozzle) and squirt the oil mix in until it runs out. Yeah, maybe it's messy and not much easier than from above, but I thought it was clever. :-) --Scott Dwyer

Forgive me for being clueless, but isn't toe-in always the same for both front wheels? You can't have the left with a greater or less toe-in than the right, can you? I mean, don't they equalize out? --Scott

Hi all -- As the subject implies, I noticed that the left front tire on my 1924 Franklin has been wearing about twice as fast as the right front. I've since rotated the two tires to even out the wear. The car has rear wheel brakes only. The question is why did this happen? --The tires are Firestone 5.00 x 23 (23-inch rim). --The toe-in was checked to be within factory specs at 1/4-inch --The tire wear is even across the tire with no cupping or scuffing. --I run tire pressures around 27 pounds to avoid excess wear in the center of the tire because this is a light weight car. --I do alot of driving on highly crowned country roads so I'm constantly "steering" to the left to stay straight. But why would this wear only the left front? Other than this, the car steers easy and straight with no pull to either side on a flat or non-crowned road. Rear tires are wearing evenly. I'm pretty much at a loss for a good explanation. Ideas welcome. --Scott

Hi all -- As the subject implies, I noticed that the left front tire on my 1924 Franklin has been wearing about twice as fast as the right front. I've since rotated the two tires to even out the wear. The car has rear wheel brakes only. The question is why did this happen? --The tires are Firestone 5.00 x 23 (23-inch rim). --The toe-in was checked to be spot on to factory specs. --The tire wear is even across the tire with no cupping or scuffing. --I run tire pressures around 27 pounds to avoid excess wear in the center of the tire because this is a light weight car. --I do alot of driving on highly crowned country roads so I'm constantly "steering" to the left to stay straight. But why would this wear only the left front? Other than this, the car steers easy and straight with no pull to either side on a flat or non-crowned road. Rear tires are wearing evenly. I'm pretty much at a loss for a good explanation. Ideas welcome. --Scott